President Mahmoud Abbas praised the strong relations between Palestine and China in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday.

As part of a three-day state visit, Abbas updated China's president about the situation on ground in Palestine, and the two also discussed broader regional and international developments.

The meeting comes as part of a broader effort by Palestinian leadership to rally international support for Palestine to be upgraded from observer to full member status at the United Nations, as well as to advance the advisory opinion from International Court of Justice on the Israeli practices of occupation and apartheid against Palestinians. 

In his brief to Jinping, Abbas testified to the ongoing crimes of Israeli occupation, the intensification of Israeli army raids and settlement expansion, as well as the violations of Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem. He also pointed to the Israeli government's withholding of tax funds from the Palestinian Authority.

Abbas also expressed support for the principle of One China, recognizing Beijing's sovereignty over Taiwan, and expressed a desire for the State of Palestine to be involved in China's sweeping development project, the Belt and Road Initiative. Abu Mazen also vowed to continue cooperation in all fields, and expressed his hope that China will continue providing political and economic support to the Palestinian people.

Abbas was greeted by an official reception with a guard of honor, followed by the national anthem of both countries. 

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Member of the Executive Committee of the PLO Ziad Abu Amr, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad Al-Maliki, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Palestine Investment Fund Muhammad Mustafa, Chief Justice of Palestine, Advisor to the President for Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habash, and Advisor to the President for Diplomatic Affairs Majdi Al-Khalidi, and Palestine's ambassador to China, Fariz Mahdawi.

As part of the trip, which began on Tuesday, the Palestinian delegation will meet with several other high-ranking officials and are expected to sign several agreements.